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The following list is very far from exhaustive but attempts to trace major developments in Korean pop music from the late 1980s until the beginning of K-pop as it is currently known. Attention is given to the debut of the most famous artists, forays overseas and the establishment of the “big 3″ management companies, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment.

It goes without saying, the beginning of the list is not the beginning of Korean pop music and other well established genres of music have continued to coexist alongside. Suggestions of any other artists who deserve to be included are welcome, and I’ll be both grateful and happy to correct any mistakes pointed out!

1987

Singer Lee Ji-yeon (b.1977 이지연) debuts with That Reason Hurt Me (그 이유가 내겐 아픔이었네). She is active until 1992 before moving to the US and becoming a chef.

In the same year ’80s singer and dancer Nami (b.1958 나미) releases her 6th album in collabroation with DJ Boom Boom (붐붐) including the song Like an Indian Doll (인디언 인형처럼) which becomes popular for it’s “Rabbit” style dance.

Star singer Kim Wan-seon (b.1969 김완선, debuted 1986) becomes the first female singer to sell more than a million copies with her 5th album The Clown Laughs at Us (삐에로는 우릴 보고 웃지). During the mid 1990s she releases three Mandarin language albums in Taiwan under her Chinese character name 金元萱.

Former Seo Taiji and Boys member Yang Hyun-Seok (b.1970 양현석 Yang Hyeon-seok) establishes Hyeon Planning (현기획 hyeon-gihoek) the forerunner of YG Entertainment. Two months later his first hip-hop group Keep Six debuts with Keep Six in the Chamber, but it is not successful.

1996.9 Boy band H.O.T. debut with their album We Hate All Kinds Of Violence under SM Entertainment. Their second single Candy proves a huge success and the album sells some 800,000 copies in the first 100 days. They are active until 2001.

TVXQ (東方神起 Dongbang-sin’gi, Jap. “Tōhōshinki,” Chi. “Dōngfāngshénqǐ, lit. “rising gods of the East) make their debut with single Hug under SM Entertainment going on to spectacular success in Japan and across Asia.

Rain establishes J.Tune Entertainment (제이튠 엔터테인멘트) as a subsidiary to JYP Entertainment and trains boy band MBLAQ which themselves are managed under another subsidiary J.Tune Camp.

2008.3

Owned by jaebeol conglomerate SK Group since 2005, Seoul Records (est.1978 서울음반) becomes LOEN Entertainment. The company distributes music for many other labels including JYP Entertainment. It manages singer IU (b.1993 이지은 Lee Ji-eun) who debuts in September.